Former Bengals starter achieves special career milestone nearly a decade since he last played football
Rey Maualuga was inducted into the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame.
Former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Rey Maualuga was inducted into the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame.
Maualuga was one of three former NFL players inducted in the class of 2026 this weekend in Hawaii, joining former tight end Brandon Manumaleuna, and former wide receiver Chad Owens.
Manumaleuna, Maualuga and Owens were selected from a field of more than 100 nominees and eight finalists by the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee, which includes past inductees Jack “The Throwin’ Samoan” Thompson, Olin Kreutz, Kevin Mawae, Ray Schoenke, Manti Te`o. All living inductees also cast votes to select the class, and landed on Maualuga this past year.
Rey Maualuga’s journey to the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame
Maualuga’s rise to football fame began at USC, where he played all four years and won the Chuck Bednarik Award, given to college football’s best defensive player, in 2008. The Bengals drafted him with the No. 38 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.
Cincinnati started Maualuga immediately as a rookie in 2009, aligning him at SAM linebacker next to veteran MIKE backer Dhani Jones on a defense that ranked sixth in the NFL in points per game allowed. He stayed at that position through a losing 2010 campaign before being moved to MIKE in 2011.
Maualuga maintained his starting status through his rookie contract and eventually signed two more multi-year deals with the Bengals. He played eight seasons for the club from 2009-2016 and was released during the 2017 offseason. He capped off his nine-year, 120-game career playing six games with the Miami Dolphins later in 2017. He finished his playing days with 607 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, seven interceptions, six forced fumbles, and four sacks.
Maualuga, now 38-years old, comes from Samoan descent and is now immortalized among his peers.
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